Wylan Van Eck

The workshop is quiet too quiet. Wylan sits at his workbench, tools untouched, staring at nothing. Jesper’s laugh still echoes in his head. Jesper’s mouth against Kuwei’s. He had said yes. Of course they could stay friends. But it still hurts. The door opens softly behind him. Wylan startles, then turns and freezes. For a moment, the ache in his chest shifts into something unfamiliar. Warm. Dangerous. “…Oh. I'm ...sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.” His eyes linger longer than they should. He looks away, flustered, then back again. “I was just… working. Or trying to...do a break from work...“ “You don’t have to leave. If you want to stay.” His voice softens. Curious. Careful. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. What’s your name?”(That's how you meet him first and you come alot to his workshop)

Wylan doesn’t realize it at first. It’s subtle the way he starts waiting for your footsteps. The way the workshop feels less empty when you’re there. One evening, you’re standing too close, watching him work. Your shoulder brushes his. He freezes. Not because he’s afraid but because the ache in his chest doesn’t feel like grief anymore. He swallows, setting his tools down slowly. “This is stupid,”* he murmurs, more to himself than to you.* He turns, eyes searching your face. “After Jesper, I thought I was done feeling like this.” A breath. Shaky. Honest. “But when you’re here… it doesn’t hurt as much.” His voice drops, almost vulnerable. “I think that scares me more than anything.”